For more details, visit our District Information page.

Course Descriptions | Career Planning Guide | Scholarships Available | A+ Program | Dual Credit Guidelines
Summer School | Accelerated Reading Lists (By Book Title) | ACT Testing | Student Handbooks | Senior Bulletin PSAT | eMINTS Title IID Grant | Academic Banquets

You may download, view, and/or print our complete Course Description and Enrollment Packet as a Word file or as a PDF file. If you are connected to the Internet through a dial-up connection, please wait for the files to download.

If you would like the school district to mail you the Course Description Enrollment Packet via U.S. mail, please call Judy Holcer at 660-646-4566 or call the Chillicothe High School at 660-646-0700 and ask for Cindy Baker or Joyce Cox, counselors.

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Student Handbook
The handbooks are provided online. Some are in Word format. You will need to have Word on your computer to view the file. If you need a print copy of the handbook, please call the appropriate school at the numbers provided at left.

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Academic Banquets
1977 Grad Gives Academic Achievers Countdown to Successful Living
Published: Friday, November 21,  2008 by LAURA SCHULER, C-T City Editor

CAPTION: With some help from three-time academic award winner Lilly Pyrtle (left), 1977 Chillicothe High School graduate and current CEO of Northwest Health Services, St. Joseph, Mo., leads the crowd in a rendition of “Big Mac Rap.” Ernst offered academic award winners a countdown to successful living Monday night in the CHS commons during the annual Academic Awards banquet. After his keynote address, many students received academic awards.

C-T Photo/Laura Schuler

Ben Ernst, a 1977 Chillicothe High School graduate who has led a long successful career in the U.S. military and is now the Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Health Services in St. Joseph, Mo., spoke to a large crowd Monday night in the Chillicothe High School commons during the annual Academic Awards banquet.

Ernst began his remarks by introducing the theme for the banquet, provided by Theodore Roosevelt: “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” However, drawing on his memories of growing up and listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 Countdown on the radio each week, Ernst recalled the popular DJ’s favorite saying: “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

“Keeping your feet on the ground is what we call being grounded in the basics. Let’s look at what kept me grounded to not only reality but what also kept me reaching for that star, my dream,” he said. So, Ernst began with a countdown of his own, starting with No. 8.

8. “We are the World,” recorded by a group of popular singers in 1985 to help aid starving children in Africa. Ernst said children are born focused on their own well being, but, by the time they graduate high school, they should be capable of understanding, appreciation and sympathizing with others.
   
   "Compassion helps us understand our place in the world and ensures we are emotionally well-rounded,” Ernst said. He added that he thought he knew a lot about compassion, but until he saw poor people in the Philippines, Korea, and Iraq through serving in the military, and now in his new job in northwest Missouri, he said he doesn’t think he was truly able to empathize with people — especially the poor.
   
   “You need to get out and experience this if you haven’t already,” Ernst told the students. He advised them to go on mission trips, volunteer and serve to aid the poor, the needy, the hungry and those in prison.

7. “That’s What Friends Are For,” by Dionne Warwick. Ernst said the friends students make in high school are often life long friends. And, he said, if not, the friendships built at CHS can serve as a basis on which they build other relationships.
   
   “Given the tremendous importance of relationships, it’s surprising we receive so little instruction on how to evaluate, prune and nurture them,” Ernst said.
   He advised students to evaluate their relationships and surround them with positive ones. “Your ability to select a suitable spouse will greatly influence your financial and emotional wellbeing, yet parents and teachers seldom mention it,” Ernst said. He offered a few “common sense guidelines” to help students in that regard.
   
   “Pick someone who’s a joy to be around and who makes you happy; know the person well; ensure compatibility beyond the physical because beauty and youth are fleeting, while the mind and heart endure.

6. “Semper Fidelis,” the official march of the Marine Crops. Ernst said that the Marines and Navy helped grow the special beliefs he’s had since he was an Eagle Scout in Troop 120 at the United Methodist Church in Chillicothe.
   
   “Take time to determine what you want and how to obtain it,” Ernst said.

5. “Let’s Get Physical,” by Olivia Newton John. Ernst told the students that no single thing has done as much to improve his outlook as getting healthy. After urging students to get active, Ernst said that he though running in high school was enough to get him in shape.
   
   “Marine boot camp taught me otherwise after four years of sitting around studying in college. It gets harder as you get older, start young,” he said.

CHS grad addresses academic letter winners
Published: Friday, November 16, 2007

CAPTION: Many Chillicothe High School students received academic letter awards during the 16th annual CHS Academic Awards Banquet held last (Thursday) night in the CHS commons area. Abby Turner Swisher, a 2000 CHS graduate, served as the guest speaker. C-T Photo/Laura Schuler

The Chillicothe High School commons area was filled with CHS students and parents during the 16th annual CHS Academic Awards banquet. R-2 Superintendent Dale Wallace provided the welcome to those gathered and then introduced the guest speaker, Abbie Turner Swisher. Swisher graduated from CHS in 2000 and enrolled in the University of Missouri-Columbia. She graduated from there in 2004 and entered the MU Fellows program where she earned her master's degree in education in 2005. She is currently teaching fifth grade at James Walker Elementary School in the Blue Springs school district. She is the daughter of Mike and Shelly Turner.

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eMINTS Grant Available Online

Technology Enhancing the Achievement of Middle School Students (TEAMS2) will provide the technology, training, and support needed for effective instruction, enabling teachers to enhance student learning and performance through the use of multimedia tools, focusing on math achievement and interdisciplinary units. The project will expand the existing eMINTS philosophy through the district addressing specific needs of middle school students and teachers while building upon the prior success of the established program at the fourth and fifth grade level. For more information and to download a copy of our eMINTS grant, please click here (pdf file).

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Summer Drivers' Education

Chillicothe High School conducts drivers' education classes each summer. Enrollment forms may be picked up at the high school office.

To enroll in the drivers' education program, students must be enrolled in school and must be 15-years-old by July 15, 2004. Out-of-district students are welcome to enroll. The drivers' education course will be a two-week session. The class schedule will vary to better fit student needs. Each student will be required to attend class each day and schedule three separate three-hour driving sessions.

Students will be charged a $25 deposit which will be returned in full upon completion of the course.

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Scholarships Available

Parents and students are encouraged to review our Senior Bulletin. This is a Word file, so you do need Word on your computer to view the file. This document lists general information and due dates regarding financial aid deadlines and other important dates, as well as a complete listing, description, and application deadline for all scholarships offered.

Click here to view our most recent Scholarship List. It will open in a new window, so you can just close it to return to this page.

Interested students may download, complete, and print the Local Scholarship Application form from this web site. This is a 4-page Word document. Once you have downloaded the file, save it to your computer under a different name ("save as" and specify where you want the document saved to) so that you can open and complete it in your Word program. Then, you can print the form and submit it to CHS. If you have any questions or cannot open the file, please email Cindy Baker at CHS or call the school at 660-646-0700.

nextSTEP... your life, after high school
Step by Step help with college planning, finding the perfect career, and more.
For Juniors and Seniors.

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ACT Testing

Cost of the ACT is $29. Make check payable to ACT Registration. The next testing dates for Chillicothe R-II Schools students are:

The ACT test will be offered by Chillicothe High School on Saturday morning, September 12, 2009. Colleges and Universities use the ACT results as one part of the admissions process. Subjects tested are: English, mathematics, reading, and science. A writing test option is also available.

Friday, August 7, is the deadline to register for the September 12 test. Those interested may register online at www.actstudent.org or by mail. Further information is available at the Guidance Office at Chillicothe High School. The ACT test is open to all area high school students and to interested adults.

The ACT test will also be administered at Chillicothe High School on December 12, 2009, February 6, 2010, and April 10, 2010.

The ACT Student site provides a complete list of test dates and deadlines. It then gives more detailed information by providing dates the test will be given in all locations in any state. To view test dates and location options in Missouri, click here.

All tests are Saturday mornings beginning at 8:00 a.m. Registration packets may be picked up at the high school guidance office. Chillicothe's school code number is 260-595, and it appears pre-printed on the envelope of the packet you pick up at the school office. You may also register online with a credit card. The online registration will insure a faster reservation to test at Chillicothe.

In the past, if a student planned to take dual enrollment classes their Junior year, it was recommended they take the June ACT the summer after their Sophomore year. However, in 2005, Central Methodist dropped the ACT requirements for the classes we offer through them for dual enrollment. That includes all dual credit math and science classes we offer. The only other dual credit class available for Juniors is offered through NCMC at Trenton. It is Speech and does not require an ACT score to be on file. Although there is now no ACT
requirement, all dual enrollment classes require that the student have a 3.0 GPA. If students do not have the GPA, they can still take the class for high school credit but will not be able to enroll for college credit. It is recommended that Junior students take the ACT in October or December of their Junior year as a barometer of how they are doing academically and to get practice in taking the test.

The ACT is America's most widely accepted college entrance exam. It assesses high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The Writing Test, which is optional, measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. The closest computer-based testing facility near Chillicothe is:

Moberly Area Community College
101 College Ave
Career Center Room C19
Moberly, MO 65270

For more information on the ACT, visit their web site. They also have a new web site, ACT for Students, where students can register for the tests, send scores, and find information on college and career planning.

Chillicothe will also be giving the SAT test October 4, 2008. Registration packets will be available at the Guidance Office. Deadline for registration is September 9, 2008.

ASVAB Testing will occur on January 27th, 2009 at 8:00. (Approximately 15 students will test, historically.)

• Contact Persons: Mrs. June Mayfield, ASVAB Test Coordinator
  800-323-0515ort 816-891-9490 ext 241
• Mike Carney, ASVAB Program Manager
  816-891-9490 ext 240

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PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitute Test)

This is a voluntary test that is available for juniors to take (cost is $12 paid in advance). Why should you take the PSAT?

1 - To open the door to college. When you provide information about yourself on the test, you will start receiving information from various colleges and universities.
2 - To practice for the SAT or the ACT.
3 - To earn scholarships and academic recognition. Students who score very high on this test may be eligible for scholarships made available through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation competition. These are nationwide scholarships worth a lot of money. Students must score extremely high on the PSAT to compete for these scholarships.
4 - To get feedback on how to omprove academically. When you get your test score back, you will also receive information on how to improve specific academic skills.
5 - To explore college majors and careers. Students who take the PSAT receive free access to a web-based career and college exploration tool.

The PSAT is a multiple choice test that is designed to measure critical reading, math reasoning, and writing skills. The test is hard because it is geared for high achieving college-bound juniors. It's up to you to decide whether or not you want to take the PSAT. When it is time for the test, there will be a sign-up sheet in the Guidance Office. Make checks out to CHS. Space and numbers are limited.

SAT (updated 08 30 06)
We have changed the ONE date that the SAT will be offered here at Chillicothe High School this year. The SAT will be offered on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14th. The SAT should not be confused with the ACT, which is the college admissions exam that most Missouri colleges want students to take. There are some out-of-state schools that might want your student to take the SAT to be considered for admissions. Mrs. Baker is the administrator of the SAT. Talk to her ASAP if your student needs to get registered or if you have additional questions.